why “bad christian” vol. I
I think it’s only fair to explain how I came up with badchristian.com as a domain name for a site. It’s not a long story so, relax. One day at work I was particularly frustrated with fundamentalism–in my old job I used to run into fundamentalists with a twist in their panties on an alarmingly regular basis.
Though it’s rare that any Christian would phrase it that way, most evangelicals and fundamentals would call any liberal who was a Christian a bad Christian. Since I believe that my faith compels me to be a liberal, I found this strange. What I believed made me a good Christian, they claimed (again not directly but through strong implications,) that I was a bad Christian. This was frustrating.
Eventually, I decided that fighting this perception–that I and others like me were bad Christians–simply wouldn’t work. I needed a more poigniant way to express myself. I decided to adopt the name bad Christian as a badge of honor. Perhaps it would have been easier to adopt a less controversial monniker, perhaps. But, I must wonder if it would have been as poigniant.
I’ve been accused of heresy and wisdom. I like to think they’re both accurate descriptors. Because, the truth of the matter is, I really am a bad Christian. I was even before I adopted the title. We all are. Adopting the title bad Christian is not about championing the cause of badness within Christianity; it merely affirms the truth that we are all bad and looks for ways in an authentic and real manner to seek truth in spite of one’s self.
Being a bad Christian isn’t about ignoring certain parts of scripture, or living a lifestyle where God is second to the desires of humankind. Being a bad Christian means that you care deeply about scripture and truth–it simply means that before accepting the status quo you critique that status quo from your perspective. Swallowing that Christian “pill” for the sake of following has led to a Church of followers. The leaders of today were the followers of yesterday. People now are swallowing the pills that their leaders had to swallow years ago.
It is my hope that folks will perceive this place as an inclusive community. A place that regardless of their belief system they can learn something about Christianity. It is my hope to help folks to come away with an appreciation and a deeper understanding of a unique interpretation of scripture–but also, an appreciation that being a (fill in the blank, feminist, liberal, democrat, homosexual) and a Christian is not impossible–in fact, it may just be that these folks have something that they can offer to others of the Christian faith that they couldn’t find elsewhere.
I’m certainly not the only person who believes as I do. There are many others–many better writers than I. Yet, I feel it important to weigh in on these important issues. To allow my voice to be heard, and maybe–just maybe–to shape the Kingdom a bit.
why “bad christian” vol. I
I think it’s only fair to explain how I came up with badchristian.com as a domain name for a site. It’s not a long story so, relax. One day at work I was particularly frustrated with fundamentalism–in my old job I used to run into fundamentalists with a twist in their panties on an alarmingly regular basis.
Though it’s rare that any Christian would phrase it that way, most evangelicals and fundamentals would call any liberal who was a Christian a bad Christian. Since I believe that my faith compels me to be a liberal, I found this strange. What I believed made me a good Christian, they claimed (again not directly but through strong implications,) that I was a bad Christian. This was frustrating.
Eventually, I decided that fighting this perception–that I and others like me were bad Christians–simply wouldn’t work. I needed a more poigniant way to express myself. I decided to adopt the name bad Christian as a badge of honor. Perhaps it would have been easier to adopt a less controversial monniker, perhaps. But, I must wonder if it would have been as poigniant.
I’ve been accused of heresy and wisdom. I like to think they’re both accurate descriptors. Because, the truth of the matter is, I really am a bad Christian. I was even before I adopted the title. We all are. Adopting the title bad Christian is not about championing the cause of badness within Christianity; it merely affirms the truth that we are all bad and looks for ways in an authentic and real manner to seek truth in spite of one’s self.
Being a bad Christian isn’t about ignoring certain parts of scripture, or living a lifestyle where God is second to the desires of humankind. Being a bad Christian means that you care deeply about scripture and truth–it simply means that before accepting the status quo you critique that status quo from your perspective. Swallowing that Christian “pill” for the sake of following has led to a Church of followers. The leaders of today were the followers of yesterday. People now are swallowing the pills that their leaders had to swallow years ago.
It is my hope that folks will perceive this place as an inclusive community. A place that regardless of their belief system they can learn something about Christianity. It is my hope to help folks to come away with an appreciation and a deeper understanding of a unique interpretation of scripture–but also, an appreciation that being a (fill in the blank, feminist, liberal, democrat, homosexual) and a Christian is not impossible–in fact, it may just be that these folks have something that they can offer to others of the Christian faith that they couldn’t find elsewhere.
I’m certainly not the only person who believes as I do. There are many others–many better writers than I. Yet, I feel it important to weigh in on these important issues. To allow my voice to be heard, and maybe–just maybe–to shape the Kingdom a bit.
